Engineering an Empire
Engineering an Empire is a television documentary miniseries that originally aired on The History Channel. The series explores the engineering and/or architectural feats that were characteristic of notable societies and cultures.
| Engineering an Empire | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Documentary |
| Presented by | Peter Weller |
| Narrated by | Michael Carroll |
| Music by | Michael Richard Plowman Peter Boyer |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 14 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer | Dolores Gavin |
| Producer | Randy Martin |
| Running time | approx. 44–90 minutes |
| Production companies | Kralyevich Productions Mechanism Digital |
| Original release | |
| Network | The History Channel |
| Release | September 13, 2005 – January 8, 2007 |
It is hosted by Peter Weller, who is most famous for playing the titular role in RoboCop (1987). When the series was made he had recently earned a master's degree in Roman and Renaissance Art at Syracuse University.[1] The show started as a documentary about the engineering feats of Ancient Rome and later evolved into a series. It originally ran for one full season of weekly episodes.
A video game, History: Egypt – Engineering an Empire, was released in 2010.[2][3]
Reception
Engineering an Empire received critical acclaim. The premiere "Rome" won two Emmys after being nominated in four categories.[4]
Tracy Spurrier of the Archaeological Institute of America gave the episode "Egypt" a positive review and praised the show's live action and CGI reenactments of building the ancient monuments. However, she was disappointed about the absence of the Great Pyramids of Giza.[5]
Episodes
| Episode Number | Episode Name | Civilization | Original Air Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rome | Ancient Rome | September 13, 2005 |
| 2 | Egypt | Ancient Egypt | October 9, 2006 |
| 3 | Greece | Ancient Greece | October 16, 2006 |
| 4 | Greece: Age of Alexander | Macedon | October 23, 2006 |
| 5 | The Aztecs | Aztec | October 30, 2006 |
| 6 | Carthage | Ancient Carthage | November 6, 2006 |
| 7 | The Maya: Death Empire | The Maya | November 13, 2006 |
| 8 | Russia | Russian Empire | November 20, 2006 |
| 9 | Britain: Blood and Steel | British Empire | November 27, 2006 |
| 10 | The Persians | First Persian Empire | December 4, 2006 |
| 11 | China | Imperial China | December 11, 2006 |
| 12 | Napoleon: Steel Monster | First French Empire | December 18, 2006 |
| 13 | The Byzantines | Byzantine Empire | December 25, 2006 |
| 14 | Da Vinci's World | Italian Renaissance | January 8, 2007 |
References
- Dafoe, Taylor (12 October 2018). "Former Robocop Actor Peter Weller on How an Epiphany at a Picasso Show Motivated Him to Become an Art Historian". Art World. Archived from the original on 2023-10-02. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
In 2004 he enrolled at Syracuse University, earning a Master's degree in Roman and Renaissance Art, then he earned his PhD in Italian Renaissance art history at UCLA in 2013.
- Moreno, Jim H. (16 September 2010). "HISTORY Egypt: Engineering an Empire – PC Game Review". Armchair General. Weider History Group. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- "HISTORY™ Egypt : Engineering an Empire". Slitherine Software. Archived from the original on 12 April 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2023.
- Emmys.com - Rome: Engineering An Empire
- Spurrier, Tracy (28 September 2006). "Ten Thousand Men, One Million Stone Blocks, and a Couple of Sleds". Archaeology Magazine. Archaeological Institute of America. Archived from the original on 2023-11-16. Retrieved 16 November 2023.